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International Week of Football Sicily, 2011

XV Jeux des îles, Sicilia 23-29 May, 2011

The islands games were invented in 1989 by Pierre Santoni, the current President of COJI and CROSC with the intention of promoting, by means of the sport, the values of coexistence and social integration as well as a dynamic collaboration among the islands of the world.

During the first edition, that took place in Ajaccio in June 1997, young athletes coming from Corsica, Madeira island, Sardinia and Sicily competed in different sports disciplines respecting the principles of sport and expressing the spirit of the games. The following year, in February in Ajaccio, Corsica, COJI was founded and both the charter and the internal regulations were adopted.

In October of the same year there was the II edition of the event and in February 1999 in Strasbourg the members of COJI were received by the intergroup of the islands at the European Parliament. In 1999 the organization of the III edition of the games was given to Sicily that won the Games, coming first. In June 2000 in Funchal, in the Portuguese Madeira island, the IV edition took place and during November of the same year in Las Palmas, in the Spanish islands of Canaries, Cape Verde and Crete were added to the list of the participant islands. In February 2001the V edition to which Corfu and Martinique joined, was in Palma de Majorca. In October 2001 in Herakion, in the Greek island of Crete, Juan Antonio Samaranch was appointed honorary president of COJI. In that occasion the adhesion of Guadalupe was ratified. In November 2002 in Fort de France (Martinique) and in Point à Pitré, in Guadalupe the adhesions of the isle of Wight, Reunion and Mayotte were registered. In this occasion the leaders of COJI were received by Henry Serandour, president of the French Olympic and Sport National Committee and by the delegates of the Regional and Department Olympic National Committee of France.

In June 2002 the VI edition of the event was organized in Cagliari, Sardinia, while the VII edition in June 2003 was in the island of Martinique. In may 2004 San Augustin de Gran Canaria hosted the VIII edition of the Games to which the island of Jersey participated, while in May 2005 there was the IX edition in Crete.

The X and XI editions of the Island Games, that took place in Sicily and in Corsica, were won by the Canaries, while the XII edition, in Guadalupe, ended with triumph of Sardinia. Sicily won the XIII and XIV editions that took place in Palma de Majorca and in San Miguel island, in the Azores.

The XV edition of the Island Games was given to the organization of CONI Sicilian Regional Committee “GIOCHI DELLE ISOLE - SICILIA 2011”, with the support of the Sicilian Region, the Regional Councillorship of tourism, Sport and Entertainment, the Regional Province of Palermo, the Municipality of Palermo and the Unicef.

The opening and closing ceremonies of the Games, which will involve the athletes and other members from the different countries from the 23th to the 29th of May, will take place on the 24th and 28th of May in the wonderful scenery of the archaeological site of Castello a Mare in Palermo.